Lögberg-Heimskringla - 01.05.1992, Side 6

6 • Lögberg-Heimskringla • Föstudagur 1. maí 1992
Young Reader’s Corner;
Where are the /ceíanders

by Frank Sigurdson
University — A home
for our heritage
Soon Icelanders were graduating
from university. The first Icelandic
graduate from the University of Mani-
toba was Frimann B. Andersonin 1884.
By 1914, forty-eight Icelanders had
graduated and twenty-two of these re-
ceived medals. Even today, there is
great interest and pride in graduates of
Icelandic origin. The Lögberg-
Heimskringla usually publishes names
and pictures of graduates and those
who have gained recognition in some
field.
The University of Winnipeg and the
University of Manitoba are well known
to the Icelanders. Many people of Ice-
landic origin have distinguished them-
selves and their heritage by accom-
plishments as students and teachers.
The University of Manitoba holds a
very important place for all Icelandic-
Canadians. We have seen how the Ice-
landers struggled to find a home for all
immigrants where they could keep their
identity. At the University of Mani-
toba, they found a home where they
could preserve their heritage of lan-
guage, literature and leaming.
The members of the Icelandic Na-
tional League were the leaders in get-
ting this place. In 1924 they decided to
begin raising $100,000 to establish an
Icelandic Chair at the University of
Manitoba. A committee was set up to
raise the money. The years of the de-
pression in the 1930’s were not good
for this project.
In 1945, Dr. P.H.T. Thorlakson
made a gift of $5,000 and Mr. Asmundur
P. Johannson donated $50,000 on con-
dition that the total would be reached.
In 1947, a Foundation Committeemade
up of people who donated $1,000 or
more was given the task of establishing
the Icelandic Chair, or the Department
of Icelandic Studies, at the University.
Dr. P.H.T. Thorlakson was made the
chairman and the amount of money
needed was raised to $150,000. Dona-
tions of $1,000 or more began coming
infromManitoba, Saskatchewan, Brit-
ish Columbia and various parts of
Canada and the United States. W.J.
Lindal, in his book The Icelanders in
Canada, noted that just as the $ 100,000
mark was reached, Mrs. John David
Eaton, whose parents were Icelandic,
contributed $18,000. Many organiza-
Students at the Department of lcelandic at the Unlversity of Manitoba.
Photo courtesy of The lcelandic Canadian
tions in Icelandic communities raised
$1,000 or more. The Parliament of Ice-
land gave $18,824 . The campaign
ended in 1952 with total contributions
of $203,652.25 .
Icelandic Studies began in the 1951
school year. The establishment of the
Department of Icelandic at the Univer-
sity of Manitoba is probably the best
thing which has been done to preserve
the Icelandic heritage. W. Kristjanson,
in his book The Icelandic People of
Manitoba, wrote that the Library had
over ten thousand volumes and that it
was the finest Icelandic collection in
America, next to the Fiske Library at
Cornell University. The number of
books would be very much larger to-
day. It contains donations such as
twenty-five himdred volumes from A. B.
Olson, over two thousand books from
the Jon Bjamason Academy, the col-
lection owned by Guttormur J.
Guttormson and numerous other do-
nations.
Professor Haraldur Bessason, Head
of the Icelandic Department for many
years, was proud that there were so
many students enrolled in Icelandic
studies.
♦ ♦ ♦
The author, a retired school principal,
is thc son of Jón and Sigrún Sigurðsson
from Vidir, Manitoba. Jón came to New
Iceland with his parents in 1883 and set-
tled in thc Hnausa area. Later, he took a
homestead in Vidir. There he had the post
officeand became councillorand laterrceve
of the Municipality ofBifrost.

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